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Well, prelims and the final night were every bit as exciting as they promised to be! The girls looked gorgeous in their Sherri Hill Scala dresses and their opening number performance was HOT! Ivana (DC Teen USA), who is an actress/singer/dancer, worked those dance moves without so 
much as a blink of an eye and boy did she look GREAT! The pageant was hosted by Shelley Hennig, former Miss Teen USA 2004, and Seth Goldman. And we were treated to one of the Bahamas's own talented artists, Tada, who had the crowd on their feet!
At the end of the evening, Miss Arkansas Teen USA, Stevi Perry, was crowned Miss Teen USA 2008. Her court included Miss South Carolina Teen USA as first runner up, Miss North Carolina Teen USA as second-runner up, Miss Louisiana Teen USA as third runner up, and Miss Idaho Teen USA as fourth-runner up. I know the judges' decisions were difficult because there were so many gorgeous teens in the pageant and their bodies for swimsuit and gowns were amazing. Ivana looked SO GOOD in her swimsuit and her evening gown... I'm proud of you pumpkin!
I enjoyed the pageant with my girls and we met the new Miss Florida USA 2009 and Miss Texas USA 2009, who were sweeties as well. Chelsea Cooley, former Miss USA, was in the house and so was first runner-up to Miss Teen USA 2007, Alyssa C (Miss NJ Teen USA 2007).
All in all, Paradise Island was all that it was rumored to be and so was the Atlantis Resort. Five days with Washington, Florida, Mississippi, Alaska, and Minnesota just wasn't enough... and I miss you girls already!
So, as you've guessed by now, I survived the New York bar exam, which was every bit as horrible as imagined, but...at the end of the storm comes the sunshine, and boy is the sun shining! I am in Paradise Island, Bahamas for Miss Teen USA 2008 and I am loving every bit of it! Five Miss USA contestants and I traveled all the way to the Bahamas to support our teen titleholders in this year's Miss Teen USA 2008 and so far it's been awesome!
First, Miss Minnesota USA, Kaylee, and I flew in on the same flight from Atlanta, 
and the party began as soon as we ran into Miss Florida (a.k.a. Flo Rida in my book!) USA 2008, Jessica (who is now retired after crowning a new Miss Florida USA 2009 in July) in the airport and grabbed a cab to our villa which sits on the ocean front. The place is absolutely gorgeous, has four beds, a full kitchen and living room, a fantastic pool, and an incredible view of the ocean and palm trees.
On day one Minnesota, Flo Rida and I arrived at our villa, immediately changed clothes and headed to the most beautiful beach I've ever seen for some much needed R&R. The water is crystal clear and you can see straight to the bottom of it! And I mean literally straight to the bottom...it looks like something off of a postcard! We laid out for a few hours, soaking up the sun, and worked on our beauty queen tans.
The beach was followed by dinner at the Dune Club, a relaxing lounge at the One & Only Ocean Club, overlooking the water. Then we headed back to the villa to change for the first day of visitation with our girls. As we headed to visitation, we were sadly disappointed to find out that we only had 30 minutes with our girls, but that was long enough to make sure that my teen, Ivana Grace, had everything she needed to do her best on stage the next night for the preliminary pageant. When I saw her, she looked amazing and I couldn't be more proud of my baby! I know that she will represent DC well!
I just wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who sent their encouragement and prayers during my bar prep time. The bar exam was this past Tuesday and Wednesday in New York City and while it was a horribly cruel test, I can say that I felt good leaving out of it and even had the joy of finding out my good friend, Miss New Jersey USA, was waiting outside on Wednesday because her boyfriend took the test as well. So thank you for all of your support during this difficult time! I am definitely ready to get back to work with appearances and the DC charities and will keep you updated as the appearances start back up. Thanks again!
much as a blink of an eye and boy did she look GREAT! The pageant was hosted by Shelley Hennig, former Miss Teen USA 2004, and Seth Goldman. And we were treated to one of the Bahamas's own talented artists, Tada, who had the crowd on their feet!
